Genre: Contemporary
Fiction/Satire
Description:
“Coyote never seems to learn. Yet, he never fails to teach, mostly
through the error of his ways. He taught the Nez Perce that they came from the Heart
of the Monster. Now, he is teaching modern day Idahoans, they have a monster in
their heart. This is Private Idaho, a place that exists in the minds of
accidental natives and territorial pranksters who take out their resentments on
tourists and real estate speculators. They are anonymous and deadly. In this
tale of the New West, where the cowboys are women and the Indians wear
Rollerblades, be alert for exploding potatoes, the allure of mineshafts and the
terrible finesse of chainsaws.”
Author:
“Rick Just is a native Idahoan who grew up on a ranch along the
Blackfoot River. He is a former Marine, a whitewater kayaker, a sculptor, a
sports car buff and the alpha male of his schnauzer pack. As a student, he
served as editor of Boise State University's nationally acclaimed literary
magazine, cold-drill. During Idaho's Centennial, Rick wrote and produced the
official Centennial radio series, Idaho Snapshots, which aired daily on
stations statewide. The program won the Governor's Take Pride in Idaho award and
was honored in the national Take Pride in America program.”
To learn more about Mr. Just please visit his website.
Appraisal:
I’m a sometimes Idahoan with roots in the state going back several
generations. About twenty years ago I was living elsewhere and suggested to a
co-worker, another expat-Idahoan, that beyond the obvious differences between
rural and more populous areas common in most states, that Idaho was actually
three states (maybe I should have said regions to be less divisive) with their
own distinct cultural norms. The first of these is The Panhandle (which is a
cross between their close neighbors of Eastern Oregon and Western Montana, with
a dash of right-wing extremism thrown in to keep things interesting). Next is
the Mormon influenced Southeast, in many ways more of a far-northern outpost of
Utah. Last, is the Southwest, with Boise, the only significant urban area and
Sun Valley, the two places most likely known to people largely unacquainted
with the Gem State.
Each of these areas is represented by at least one significant
character in Keeping Private Idaho,
and the diversity of the characters in the novel is reflective of reality.
Thrown into the mix is Coyote of Native American mythology as another major
character. The large cast of characters was difficult to track in the
beginning. As the story progressed and each distinctive personality solidified
in my mind, that became less of a problem.
One thing each area of the state has in common is tourism as a
significant industry. The timeframe when the story takes place (the mid-90s)
was also a period when Idaho, along with many other western states, experienced
conflict, with rapid growth, an influx of “outsiders” moving in (many from
California), and rapid appreciation in housing prices. At times this caused
disagreements and clashes between the natives and the newcomers, with bumper
stickers saying “Don’t Californicate Idaho” as one obvious outward
representation of those opposed to the changes.
It’s against this backdrop that the story of Keeping Private Idaho is told. It’s a cautionary tale (luckily the
modern day Monkey Wrench Gang depicted here was never reality). Part of me
realized while reading that some things, like a rural rancher wishing her city
cousins would get as nostalgic about bucking hay as they did during branding
season, wouldn’t evoke the same knowing chuckle from everyone as it did for me.
Some of the subtle humor (the names of the children in the Thompson family, for
example) wouldn’t tickle the funny bone for everyone, like it did for me. (In
fact, most people would probably have to have it explained to even realize
there was humor there.)
However, Keeping Private Idaho
also explores some universal themes, dealing with change and the concept of
geographical and cultural roots, being the two that resonated most with me. I
would expect those parts of the story to be entertaining and thought provoking
for all readers, even those who have never been within a thousand miles of the
state.
Buy now
from: Amazon US Amazon UK
FYI:
Added for
Reprise Review: Keeping
Private Idaho by Rick Just was a nominee in the Contemporary/Literary/General
category for B&P 2015 Readers' Choice Awards. Original review ran April 22,
2014.
Format/Typo
Issues:
No significant issues.
Rating:
***** Five Stars
Reviewed
by: BigAl
Approximate
word count: 70-75,000 words
